To Cherish What Is Golden
by AEROFiNiC
Summary: For every child, there's someone put there that loves them more than anyone else.
1. Through

**To Cherish What Is Golden**

_-_

_Hush little baby, don't you cry. I promise I will sing you a lullaby._

_I'll love you forever; I'll never let you go. I'll always say yes, and never no._

_I'll hold you in the night, but also in the day. I promise everything will be okay._

_You have no need to shed those tears, because I'll always be right here._

_-_

**CHAPTER ONE**

Somewhere in the world, a small child is crying. Every second, another child laughs. But somewhere in the world lay a little baby, snug in his crib. He was an infant, so small yet so brilliant. His hair was already beginning to shine a light blonde, just like his mother's. His mother had only given birth to him two weeks before and was finally able to take him home. He lay silent in her arms as she watched him, smiling. She knew he'd someday be the amazing son she'd always dreamt of. She had the most beautiful, sweet baby in the world. There was no doubt that he was something to admire. He was probably the first infant to smile at his mother in such a short period of time. He was her little miracle.

Not far from their little house in Winchester, a ten-year old boy was watching, a smile glued upon his face. He was fascinated by the fact that the woman loved her baby so much. He'd watched her baby boy so much that he had even deprived himself of sleep. It wasn't long before dark shadows began to appear under his small brown eyes. His guardian was beginning to worry. There was nothing the young boy could do, though, for he loved the child so much.

Within a few years of watching, the infant had sprouted into a toddler, and was now preparing for his first day of pre-school. He was still as cheerful as he used to be and only wished to make his mother proud. He couldn't have wished for anything more in the world. Still, something about this child didn't seem to fit. He was a genius, and not even his mother had known.

By this time, the young boy was thirteen, and he saw the potential in the child. "Mihael" was the child's name and it suited him very well. It was an English name that the teenage boy easily mispronounced, but it fit like a glove to the child. Mihael was such a mature sounding name, and he lived up to it, his maturity at times being better than L's.

L. That was the name of the boy who watched over Mihael constantly. He would have made a great father, had he not been so young. Had he also not been such a busy child, L and Mihael could have been great friends. Knowing he couldn't barge in on others' lives, L stayed watch over the boy only from afar, there to make sure the boy was always alright. L wasn't prepared for the moment when things would turn upside-down. That was definitely one of the things he'd never thought about.

By the age of six, Mihael's mother had become ill. She was so sick that she could no longer take care of her little boy. Each day, she began to die a little more. Mihael was more than capable of taking care of the two of them, but L was beginning to worry. On the day Mihael's mother died, L decided he had to step in. This action would be impossible without the help of his guardian, Watari.

Watari's real name was Quillish Wammy. He'd founded the orphanage in which L resided. The name of this orphanage was The Wammy's House and L was the reason it began. Watari had invented the orphanage in order to train children to become L's successors. L was, in fact, the world's greatest detective at the time. That is what brought Watari to founding the orphanage. For people like L. With L's help, Watari realized that Mihael was very smart. He seemed almost as smart as Nate River, the smartest orphan next to L inside Wammy's House. Nate River was a year younger than Mihael, so Watari wouldn't be surprised if Mihael would fall in line right next to him.

L's feelings for the child were nothing like Watari's. L ached when he knew Mihael was aching. He was like the parent Mihael never met, if that wasn't crazy. So, when the time came that Watari rounded up the new children, L was sure to tag along.

The evening of this little adventure came that September, when the leaves on the trees were beginning to turn golden-brown. They would soon fall to the ground to prepare the trees for winter. Watari prepared transportation as L laid on the cold grass. He stared up at the sky and lifted his back until he was in his usual sitting position on the ground. The sunlight blinded him, so he studied the bright green grass beneath his feet. There were only small areas where it was beginning to turn brow, but the signs of autumn were definitely there.

Watari called out to L that the time had come to depart. L stood, hunched over as he usually was his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He followed Watari to the car in silence and reverted back to his old position once inside the car. Watari glanced at him from the corner of his eye, grinning widely as they drove off.

"You seem…happy today," L thought aloud.

Watari chuckled softly and nodded, returning his attention to the wheel.

Within a few seconds, Watari heard the crinkling of a wrapper in the seat next to him. He glanced over to find L devouring a twinkie. His addiction to sweets was obvious at this moment, though he never kept it to himself anyway. Watari often found him with twelve sugar cubes in his coffee and sometimes, L even ate the sugar cubes plain.

L ate with the strangest eating habits. When he would take a bite, he would hold his food with only two fingers and drop whatever candy he had into his mouth. He never ate vegetables. Fruit was okay, but his main dish was candy. He said it made him think more clearly, so Watari allowed him to do as he pleased.

Within a couple of minutes, the two found themselves outside Mihael's house.

A few knocks brought Mihael to the door, where he stood in shock, eyes focused on the two men.

"Who are you?" he asked nervously, biting his lip.

L immediately spoke the truth, whether it would be able to calm the boy or not. "We're from the orphanage down the street."

Mello frowned. "I'm not an orphan!" he insisted, "My mother's just sick and sleepy!"

Watari spoke to Mihael with gentle words, explaining to him that his mother was dead. Tears came to his eyes and he screamed as he was brought to the car. L decided to sit in the back with him, to comfort him if needed.

The next child was a girl, and she was being transferred from another orphanage to Wammy's. Her name was Lynette Claudia Reynolds. Her name was almost as interesting as little Mihael Keehl's, though they would both be giving them up soon. In order to insure their safety, their names had to be forgotten. Lynette became Linda, and little Mihael became Mello. That was just the way it had to be.

L realized that Mello was still crying and offered him a chocolate bar.

Mello took it silently and unwrapped it, careful not to tear it incorrectly. L watched in curiosity, unsure of what the boy's next action would be. Mello ate the chocolate, though not as carefully as he'd unwrapped it. After the second bite his tears became worse.

"Maybe chocolate wasn't the best idea," L said, frowning. He brushed his hand across Mello's hair to comfort him before offering some chocolate to Linda.

She took some eagerly and thanked him. Perhaps she was just used to living without parents.

Mello shifted closer to L and cried into his shirt. L let the poor six-year old stay there because he felt deeply sorry for him. What happened to Mello's mother couldn't be helped, but L wished the child would just smile and forget about it. Something about the child was so painful. L held him close and refused to let go.

"I'll take care of you, Mihael," he whispered into the child's ear.

His name would be Mello to everyone else, but L was the only one who knew his real name. Mello held tightly to L's loose shirt, but his crying had softened.

His first words since entering the car were "Thank you."


	2. Expired

**To Cherish What Is Golden**

-

_Is it summer somewhere while we freeze in this cold December,_

_There's only one thing left for us to do. To live, we just wait for the ending._

_But how can we wait for that ending that's yet to come._

_And will we remember ourselves once it's done?_

_-_

The days after the new children arrived at Wammy's were long and seemed endless. L lay awake in the night like before, sometimes even leaving his own room to watch over Mello. It became a habit and he'd lay next to Mello and watch the boy breathe, cautious not to wake him. He'd gotten too used to seeing Mello's face so relaxed that he worried when he realized Mello was hurting. The first signs showed up only about a week after Mello arrived at Wammy's house, and they definitely weren't something to laugh about.

Even in the first week, Mello had managed to become L's second successor, but for Mello that obviously wasn't enough. There was Near, L's first successor, who always seemed to be one step ahead of Mello. Mello despised him completely and not only because he was number one. There was one thing that L hadn't noticed about this jealousy, and it was that Mello was jealous because Near was closer to L. Mello felt like he needed to give something back to L, to somehow repay him for giving him a home. He wanted to prove to L that he could be number one. What he didn't realize came to haunt him. By now, it was December, and something just wasn't right…

Wammy's house was quiet at last, except for the small, girlish whimpers and the low shouting in the corridor near Roger Ruvie's office. Roger was preparing L's tea and being his company while Watari was away and seemed to notice it. The two discontinued all they were doing when the noise became audible and rushed out into the corridor. The corridor was dark and shadowed, so it was hard to see. Sure enough, though, two boys stood at the end of the corridor, exhausted. They had obviously been fighting physically. One had, anyway.

L made out the figures to be Mello and Near and watched as Mello threw a punch at Near. By now, Near was on the floor, no longer trying to protect himself. Even knowing this, Mello continued to fight. Sometimes he would throw things, but for now he only used his hands. He seemed to have power over Near. It was power that couldn't be defeated, unless of course, L stood between Mello and his rival.

Mello refused to do anything to L, though he knew he was already in trouble. He knew his punishment was coming when L's eyes became serious and he gestured Mello to follow him.

L kneeled by Mello so that their eyes were at the same level and frowned.

"Are you okay, Mihael?"

Mello froze when he realized what he'd just heard. L had asked about his feelings rather than given him a punishment.

"I-you aren't mad?"

L nodded and pulled Mello into a tight hug. "I figured if you decided to hurt Near, you'd have a reason."

He kissed Mello's forehead gently and returned to his awkward standing position.

"You should sleep," he said, handing Mello a chocolate bar.

"Thanks," Mello replied, his eyes blurring.

As he ate the chocolate, he cried again. He wasn't sure if it was chocolate altogether that made him sad or if it was the things that L gave him that made him this way. Either way, chocolate would become like a drug to him someday, whether he'd intended it to or not.

"L?" he said that night after L had sent him to bed.

L returned to his previous position by Mello's bed and waited.

"Sleep well, okay?"

Even from a child so small and with words so unimportant, it meant the world to L.

"Thank you, Mihael."

L left Mello's room with a giant grin spread across his face.

He wouldn't tell Watari about this, because maybe he'd take it the wrong way. L decided to keep it to himself for the time being, and he promised never to show anyone else the love he showed for Mello.

Maybe there were a few things L didn't know about this child, but there were many things he knew very well. He knew the child needed love, and he would stop at nothing to give it o him. For a quick second, he thought about turning around to face Mello once more, but decided against it. And instead of the "I love you, Mihael" that he'd meant with his heart, he said, "Goodnight, Mihael," which only took his mind to think up.

"Good night."

* * *

A/N: I apologize for taking so long to write this, and the amount of SUCK that is this chapter. Anyway, read and review, and comment the suckiness.


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